Maltitol in chocolate and short-term gut comfort in children
What it found
Children eating up to 15 g of maltitol in chocolate had slightly more gas, but scores stayed low.
The authors say it was well tolerated at that amount.
What they found
Studies in people
Gas and gut symptoms
Children eating the maltitol chocolate reported slightly more gas than those eating the sugar chocolate. Other gut symptom scores stayed low and were considered minor.
Other findings
Taste compared to sugar
The researchers also set out to compare how the maltitol and sugar chocolates tasted.
What the authors conclude
- Their results suggest that children tolerated 15 g of maltitol in a single serving of chocolate well.
How it was done
Polyols are used by food makers for their technical and nutritional traits. Maltitol is known for not feeding cavity-causing mouth bacteria and for providing little energy.
Healthy children took part in a blinded trial comparing maltitol chocolate with regular sugar chocolate. Each child ate one dose per week, rising from 5 to 15 g of maltitol. Researchers tracked belly pain, rumbling, bloating and gas using rating scales.
What it can’t tell you
- We summarised it from the abstract only.
- This trial only looked at single weekly servings over a short time. It cannot show what happens when children eat maltitol every day or in larger amounts.
The paper
- Title
- Short-term digestive tolerance of chocolate formulated with maltitol in children
- Type
- Randomised controlled trial
- Evidence
- Studies in people
- Summarised from
- Abstract only
- Cite
- Thabuis C, Cazaubiel M, Pichelin M, Wils D, Guerin-Deremaux L (2010). Short-term digestive tolerance of chocolate formulated with maltitol in children. International journal of food sciences and nutrition. doi:10.3109/09637481003766812PubMed 20465435DOI
Summary written 30 Sep 2026. Check it against the paper before it changes what you eat. How we summarise papers · Report an error